Semmelweis reflex

The Semmelweis Reflex is named after a doctor called Ignaz Semmelweis, who wanted to figure out why so many women were getting sick or dying while they were giving birth in a hospital. He figured out that the doctors were not washing their hands after doing autopsies (looking at dead bodies). So Dr. Semmelweis said that all the doctors and nurses should wash their hands with soap and water before each time they saw a new patient. It worked very well, and the number of women who got sick or died dropped dramatically. The "Semmelweis Reflex" is when people don't believe a new idea without proof, even when the idea is supported by evidence. It's named after Semmelweis because even though his idea was extremely helpful, many of the other doctors didn't believe him or take his ideas seriously.